Last week I wrote something about veterans’ experiences with the Colorado Rockies. As a young team trying to figure out its future under an unknown new head of baseball operations (unless they have already announced it by the time you read this), there is a place for veterans to help lead this team. Ideally, I came to the conclusion that it would be a proven player(s) who can post in the lineup almost every day and be productive in the lineup. A player with a consistent and proven track record of success is what the Rockies have always needed, rather than the player who had one good season in 2021.
Now we have no idea how much will change under a new main character in the front office or what the plan will be in free agency heading into the offseason. However, if the Rockies look for experience at a few of their pseudo-open positions (first base and second base), Paul Goldschmidt would be a name that stands out as a decent stopgap.
Yes, I know Goldschmidt is counterproductive and way too consistent with the bad moves the Rockies have made over the years. He’s 38 years old and isn’t the offensive threat he used to be, and the Rockies could clearly spend their money elsewhere. By no means am I saying they should absolutely sign him for the 2026 season, but hey, at least we can think about the “what if” of it all.
Drafted in the eighth round by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2009, Goldschmidt has easily become one of the best first basemen of his generation. For his career, he has slashed .288/.378/.504, good for a 137 wRC+, with 372 home runs and 1,232 RBI over 2,073 career games, while accumulating 63.8 rWAR.
His resume is filled with numerous awards and accolades during his fifteen seasons in the major leagues, which is a valuable track record of success. If you want a veteran big leaguer in your clubhouse, you could do a lot worse than Goldschmidt when it comes to free agency considerations.
He enters free agency after having a down year by his standards. Goldschmidt played with the New York Yankees and hit .274/.328/.403 in 145 games with 10 home runs, but still posted a fairly league-average 103 wRC+. He had an incredibly strong start to the season, hitting .338 in 232 plate appearances through the end of May and posting a 148 wRC+. However, he went on to hit just .143 in 94 at-bats in June, but managed to hit .261 from July through the end of the year, which was good for just an 87 wRC+.
As Goldschmidt has gotten older and his power numbers are in flux, he has adopted a more contact-oriented approach this season. He lowered his strikeout rate from 26.5% to 18.7% and connected on 86.0% of pitches in the strike zone, down from 79.8% in 2024. Overall, Goldschmidt has achieved a league-average strikeout rate in his career and has struck out at least 170 times in his career. His walk rate has dropped over the last two seasons, but he still scored something close to league average in that area.
So how could the Rockies use him?
The obvious answer is to sign Goldschmidt and hope he can play first base almost every day. Defensively he is still quite good in his position. As a four-time Gold Glove winner, most recently in 2021, he was appreciated. He was rated at -1 Defensive Runs Saved, tied for ninth among qualified first basemen, as well as -3 Outs Above Average, which ranked 13th in 1,029 innings at first base. Statcast was a little stricter, giving him a Fielding Run Value of the 33rd percentile. Still, he is more than stable in handling the position, especially with good defense in the field.
However, it’s hard to expect Goldschmidt to post in Colorado every day. Not only is his age a factor, but also the toll that playing in higher ground takes. Still, that could be beneficial if the Rockies were to use him in a platoon role.
In 168 plate appearances against lefties this year, Goldschmidt hit .336/.411/.570 with an 11.3% strikeout rate and a 169 wRC+. He would likely still line up against the righties, but that could be limited if the Rockies find a worthy piece to platoon with him at first base.
Of course, there’s also the fact that Goldschmidt loved hitting at Coors Field. In 81 career games, he has slashed .334/.419/.606 with 18 home runs and 81 runs driven in. In fact, he has hit well in all National League West ballparks as well as the teams that occupy them, with an AVG of at least .280 against all five teams.
Goldschmidt would also come to the market cheaper than the prices of Josh Naylor or Pete Alonso. His age and decline in production would likely land him with another one-year contract only, and Spotrac estimates his market value somewhere in the ballpark of $7 million after earning more than $12 million in 2025.
I could see a scenario where Goldschmidt makes sense for the Rockies. He is a proven leader with a track record of success over a consistent career and would be the type of veteran who could help guide a young core of position players to winning baseball. However, his best years are behind him, and even if the Rockies wanted him, I doubt he would want to come to Colorado when there could be other attractive destinations to try to win a World Series title.
But if there’s a chance he could be available as an option for the team while they wait for Charlie Condon to be ready, it wouldn’t be the end of the world to pick him up. The team just can’t count on him to carry the lineup they need because they need a lot more than that right now.
Salt River Rafters 7, Mesa Solar Sox 0 (Game 1)
A two-out RBI single by Charlie Condon was the highlight for him during a six-run top of the seventh for the Salt River Rafters in their win. He went 1-for-4 in the game with two strikeouts, while Braylen Wimmer got the start at third base, where he went 1-for-3 with two strikeouts.
Mesa Solar Sox 6, Salt River Rafters 3 (Game 2)
A four-run bottom in the sixth inning gave the Mesa Solar Sox the victory in the second game of the afternoon. Condon went 1-for-2 with a run scored in addition to a strikeout and a walk. Thomas also went 1-for-3 with a run scored and two strikeouts. Braylen Wimmer had one at bat in the game as a substitute and went 0-for-1.
Affected by altitude Episode 184: decisions, decisions | Rocky Mountain roof
In this episode of the podcast, Evan Lang and I talk about the reported candidates for the Rockies’ new chief of operations, while also wondering if they’re giving enough time to this monumental decision. We also still hate the Dodgers.
Underdog Wimmer wants to turn heads in AFL | MLB.com
Wimmer is quietly doing well as an under-the-radar prospect in the Rockies system. Now he gets the chance to showcase his skills a little more as he plays against other top players in the AFL.
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